Matrox Video's Vice President of Product Management, Spiro Plagakis, discusses the latest advancements and innovations shaping the future of video production at the IBC Show.

Exclusive Interview with Matrox Video's Spiro Plagakis at IBC Show: Innovations in Video Technology
Can you provide an overview of your company's latest innovations and products that will be showcased at the International Broadcasting Conference?
At IBC2024 Matrox® Video will showcase products that make it easy for users to capture high-quality baseband video and IP video, produce and process content, operate and control computer systems remotely, and deliver media to audiences reliably.

One highlight at the show will be a tech preview of the new Matrox Avio 2 IP KVM, the world’s first IPMX- and SMPTE ST 2110-IP KVM extender, which brings broadcast-grade quality to KVM by ensuring unparalleled video quality and performance with uncompressed, realtime remote operation on 10GbE networks, and support for 1G network with optional JPEG XS codec. An NMOS-compatible product that delivers video in an industry-standard format suitable for broadcast and high-quality media production, Matrox Avio 2 opens opportunities for new workflows while enabling users to reduce installation costs and complexity.

Another new product is the Matrox Vion IP video gateway, which simplifies working with IP video in many environments. To solve the common problem of moving from one IP video format to another, Vion provides low-latency multichannel encoding, decoding, transcoding, and processing of 4:2:2 10-bit broadcast video as well as 4:4:4 RGB desktop video, with support for standard protocols such as SRT, RTSP, NDI and IPMX. Also designed for ST 2110 and IPMX workflows, the PoE-enabled Matrox ConvertIP video converter/encoder/decoder is a practical and cost-effective solution for integrating the latest IP video formats into existing SDI video infrastructure and 1/10/25GbE data networks.

The Matrox DSX LE5 D25 LP and DSX LE6 D100 network interface controller (NIC) cards, the latest additions to the Matrox DSX Developer products lineup of SMPTE ST 2110 cards, power flexible, cost-effective products enabling the broadcast and pro-AV industries’ shift to IP workflows.

Another show highlight, the Matrox ORIGIN asynchronous media framework, allows broadcasters and developers to re-architect tier 1-capable live production media facilities to run on standard IT infrastructure at any scale, whether on-prem or in the cloud. Visitors to the Matrox Video booth 7.B15 can see a demo of Matrox ORIGIN powering live workflows that are widely considered impossible when using IT equipment. Matrox ORIGIN will support a large-scale production workflow of 52 live streams, complete with graphics, DVEs, clips, switching, and audio, architected for a no single point of failure, and running on multiple systems in AWS across different availability zones — all in uncompressed. The continually expanding ecosystem of Matrox ORIGIN partners includes industry leaders InSync Technology, Pebble Beach Systems, RT Software, Telos Alliance, and Visual Research.

Attendees can also see Matrox ORIGIN in action on Sept. 14, at 11 a.m. CET, in room G106, at the IBC-exclusive seminar, “Your Complete Blueprint for the IT Revolution in Live Production.” The seminar will include a discussion about the future of IT for live production, as well as a presentation about the unique Matrox ORIGIN approach, its architecture, and the latest features and capabilities. After the session, attendees can speak with Matrox Video experts and get technical insights.

These and other Matrox Video products stand out for their longevity, scalability, performance, and support for open standards.
How do you anticipate the trends and developments in broadcasting technology influencing the industry in the next few years?
The industry’s shift toward IT- and IP-enabled technologies will continue as broadcasters look to implement the flexible, scalable, and cost-efficient workflows critical to meeting modern media consumption habits and demand. It’s no secret that the biggest industry trend is how broadcast live production is moving to the cloud or making use of generic COTS IT equipment on-prem.

A leader in promoting open standards such as SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX to ensure interoperability and ease of integration, the company has built this approach into its product roadmap to help ease broadcasters’ transition to IP workflows. With its innovative Matrox ORIGIN framework, the company provides a scalable, IT-native architecture that enables broadcasters and developers to utilize the full potential of IT infrastructures, whether in the cloud or on-prem, for live production. With Matrox ORIGIN, broadcasters can finally produce live events on COTS generic IT equipment without sacrificing quality or reliability.

Remote production, or REMI, is also a strong trend, and the Matrox Monarch EDGE encoder/decoder is a versatile performer for remote production and contribution, with SRT support and other capabilities facilitating video transport and distribution workflows. Other critical technologies include IP gateways, which allow broadcasters to work efficiently across formats in IP environments, and advanced IP KVM systems that bring broadcast quality and standards-based management capabilities to workflows across production and control room environments.

Matrox Video is addressing these needs by developing standards-based products that solve the daily challenges facing broadcasters and other content producers not only in the capture, production, and delivery of high-quality baseband and IP video but also in the management, routing, and orchestration essential to those fundamental workflows.
In what ways do you believe your products can address the evolving needs of broadcasters and content creators?
One of the primary challenges broadcasters face today is the transition from traditional baseband video workflows to IP-based workflows. Matrox Video addresses this challenge with its support for open standards (SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX) in products such as the Matrox ConvertIP converters, which enable cost-effective ST 2110 conversion and monitoring. The new Vion IP video gateway tackles the challenge of working efficiently with multiple formats in an IP environment. The industry-first open-standards-based IPMX and ST 2110 IP KVM extender, Avio 2, brings broadcast-grade quality to KVM in demanding broadcast and production environments by ensuring unparalleled video quality and performance with uncompressed, realtime remote operation.
Can you share any case studies or success stories where your products have significantly enhanced broadcasting operations or content production?
Using Matrox Monarch EDGE encoders to support coverage of international football championship qualifiers, Label Broadcast was able to transmit two high-quality and low-latency program feeds, using SRT, from the main and backup encoders. The Label Broadcast service included stream analysis, monitoring, and recording for post-production and archiving.

The remote production workflow reduced the size of the production team, and Monarch EDGE encoders eliminated the need to send additional production equipment, such as a DSNG satellite truck, to the stadium. The low-cost approach for the project made covering the match viable for Label Broadcast’s customer, Sportfive Asia. On top of all that, Label Broadcast and Sportfive Asia easily integrated the SRT-compatible Monarch EDGE encoders into their existing workflows for packaging, streaming, and distribution.
How does your company approach sustainability and environmental responsibility in the design and manufacturing of your products?
Not every broadcast product is built for the long haul, but customers comment on using Matrox Video equipment that’s 20 years old and still working. Matrox Video products are built to last, and users benefit from ongoing support and updates. Forward-looking design and ongoing updates not only prolong the life of broadcast products but also allow them to address users’ changing operations and technical requirements. In other cases, due to their longevity, older products can be repurposed and put to work in different workflows or in lower-priority and support roles.

Scalability is also an important factor in a product’s longevity. A system that can operate on 1GbE and expand to 10GbE if needed, or support both IP and point-to-point connectivity, is likely to give the user a longer useful life, and many Matrox Video products do just this.

A major initiative at Matrox Video has been to build in support for open standards, such as SMPTE ST 2110 and IPMX, into the overall product roadmap. Several key releases have already hit the market, and the company will continue championing open standards support to ensure critical broadcast systems maintain interoperability and integrate easily into both existing and future infrastructure.

With the introduction of Matrox ORIGIN, Matrox Video is also empowering broadcasters to move away from specialized, always-on, hardware-based equipment running on-premises to a cloud-based framework built on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware that yields the further benefit of smarter, more efficient, and more agile resource usage. Both Matrox ORIGIN and Matrox Monarch EDGE encoders/decoders support remote production workflows, empowering broadcasters to reduce travel and the carbon footprint associated with their operations.
Where can we find you (booth number) at the show and keep up with you (social media handles?)
Visit Matrox Video at IBC2024, Stand 7.B15
LinkedIn: video.matrox.com
X/Twitter: video.matrox.com
YouTube: video.matrox.com
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